The price tag of the measure grew to about $36 billion as senators bowed to pressure from farm-state lawmakers and added $2.9 billion to help growers and livestock producers - mostly in the Midwest - hurt by drought.

The overall measure was approved by 93-0. The Senate must next work out a compromise with the House, which passed its version of the legislation in June.

The bill provides federal aid for antiterror efforts by local police, fire and emergency-responder departments, as well as to the government's border security, immigration, and other domestic-security programs. Overall, the measure would exceed President Bush's request for such programs by more than $1 billion.

With elections less than two months off, Democrats were hoping the GOP would find it painful to vote against a series of amendments to boost security spending. But for the most part, Republicans fended off such amendments, such as one by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D., N.Y.) to add $625 million to the $875 million in the bill for cities considered at high risk of attacks.

The Senate accepted some amendments. It voted to boost money for firefighters by $100 million, taking the money out of administrative expenses.

The measure is only the second of the 13 annual spending bills for next year that the Senate has approved.